1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of brake lining wear indicators, and more particularly, to an easily replaceable wear indicator for a friction pad of a disc brake assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For facilitating the replacement of a brake wear indicator, it is well known generally to provide a hole for mounting the same in a backing plate of the friction brake pad as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid Open Application No. 1568/1973. Such a wear indicator may, however, come into frictional engagement with the rotating disc and become detached due to the rotation torque of the disc when the friction pad is worn away to its safety limiting thickness. One known solution for such a problem is to insert the wear indicator through an aperture formed in the back side of the backing plate of the friction pad so that the indicator may neither escape toward the brading face nor in the radial direction of the disc. However, as the friction pad is gradually worn away, the top of the wear indicator first comes into contact with the disc before the indicator generates a wear alarm, and, when the top is pressed by the disc, the wear indicator is forced backward or retracted from the braking surface, thereby failing to give an alarm even when the pad lining is worn away beyond the level corresponding to a safety limiting thickness.